Grants and Scholarships

does any one know the real address to apply online for womens business grants because i'm getting nowhere?HELP?

i keep looking but i'm not getting any where it is not suppose to cost to find out this info but every where i go there is something screaming FRAUD!! where do i go for the small business loans/grants for single mothers/women?

Public Comments

1. Hi, there are many agencies offering grants for woman, however there is no single address. In addition, you will find grants that are specific to certain criteria such as age, race, income level. Hence, the best thing would be to make a thorough search. However, beware of all the websites that ask you a fee, or the famous free application with the cheap looking website. I can also assure you that many scammers will contact you trough yahoo now that you have posted this. The only reliable source i know is the government itself, once you contact someone there, they might be more helpful in directing you to a non profit offering grants. Anyway a good place to start is: www.business.gov There you will find all the information concerning how to open a business, how to get a grant, how to write a business plan etc. http://www.usa.gov/Citizen/Topics/Benefits.shtml On that link, you will find the information about government grants. Good luck with your venture!
2. See http://grants.gov/aboutgrants/eligibility.jsp re grants - that's very likely not an option. That page also gives links to sba.gov for more info.
3. It is hard to find grants to start a business. Unlike the myths that some perpetuate, federal government and even private foundations hardly give grant money for starting a for-profit business. One possible exception is for companies developing or exporting agricultural goods, including food and forest product. Another exception could be the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) or Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs http://www.sba.gov/aboutsba/sbaprograms/sbir/index.html , which fund the research and development of technological innovation that meets specific government needs. Your best bet actually will be from the states if they offer grant programs for women (or any other special interest groups -- minorities, women, disabled, veterans, etc). Or check with non profit organizations, particularly women organizations if they offer grants. Examples include Iowa Women's Foundation http://www.iawf.org/ New Mexico Women's Foundation http://www.nmwf.org/guidelines.html Even SBA does NOT give out grants. From the SBA website http://www.sba.gov/mostrequesteditems/CON_FAQ2.html "The U.S. Small Business Administration does not offer grants to start or expand small businesses, although it does offer a wide variety of loan programs. (See http://www.sba.gov/financing for more information) While SBA does offer some grant programs, these are generally designed to expand and enhance organizations that provide small business management, technical, or financial assistance. These grants generally support non-profit organizations, intermediary lending institutions, and state and local governments." Nonetheless, you can go to the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) http://www.cfda.gov and Grants.gov http://www.grants.gov - these are two sites created by the federal government to provide transparency and information on grants. Browse through the listings and see if you can find any grant that would support a for-profit venture. Here is a listing of federal grants for small businesses. See if there is any available for individuals for starting a business -- THERE'S NONE. http://12.46.245.173/pls/portal30/CATALOG.BROWSE_BENEF_RPT.show Most of the federal grants are given to specific target groups with specific requirements (e.g. minority business owners involved in transportation related contracts emanating from DOT - Grant#20.905 Disadvantaged Business Enterprises Short Term Lending Program Grants are also often given to non profit groups or organizations involved in training or other similar activities (grant 59.043 Women's Business Ownership Assistance that are given to those who will create women's business center that will train women entrepreneurs